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Thursday, December 8, 2011

Shi Wei Tian (食唯天) @ Joo Chiat Place

Stepping into the 6 month's old restaurant located at the junction of Joo Chiat Place and Tembeling Road is like walking down memory lanes. The air conditioned restaurant has a nostalgic theme with many 1960-1970s household items such as sewing machines, gammaphones, weighting scale, old pictures and posters displayed around the restaurant.

Shi Wei Tian's story traced back to the owner's (Ryan) vision to recreate his grandma recipes. To ensure the kitchen wok up authentic Malaysian dishes, a Malaysian chef was hired to lead the kitchen.

Claypot KL Bak Kut Teh 4/5

A pipping hot Malaysian style Claypot KL Bak Kut Teh was perfect for the cold and rainy day. The pork ribs came in small chopped pieces with the meat coming off the bone easily. The herbal soup Bak Kut Teh also came with innards and golden mushrooms.

Char Tar Beehoon 4/5

This is my first time having Char Tar Beehoon (Burnt Beehoon) and I didn't know what to expect. Apparently Char Tar Beehoon is a popular dish in Malaysia. The beehoon was soft and tasty but lacked the crispy crust that held the beehoon together.

Signature Tofu 4.5/5

Thumbs up to the Signature Tofu that the Chef makes everyday. The Tofu was very smooth and melted in the mouth. Topped with deep fried golden mushrooms, it gave the dish a contrast texture that was delightful to be eaten alone or together with the Tofu.

Garlic Steamed Prawns 4.2/5

I usually avoid having prawns when I dine outside to avoid dirtying my hands peeling the prawn shells. Not to worry when you have the Garlic Steamed Prawns at Shi Wei Tian. The steamed prawns were split into halves and topped with both fresh and deep fried garlic. The prawns were very fresh and the meat came of the shells with ease.

Imperial Treasure Pot 4/5

The luxurious Imperial Treasure Pot came with abundant of ingredients stewed in claypot. There were prawns, shitake mushroom, fish slices, fish maw, broccoli, sea cucumbers and scallops. It was a great dish full of rich flavours.

Nasi Pattaya 4/5

This dish is not available on the menu and only regulars knew about it. Nasi Pattaya is a simple fried rice dish wrapped with omelette. Isn't the smiling face drawn by tomato sauce cute? The dish may look simple but it takes great effort making the perfect omelette to wrap the fried rice.

Claypot Crab Tanghoon 3.8/5

Unfortunately I did not get to try their specialty, Cereal Paste Crab. I had the Claypot CrabTanghoon instead which was a bit disappointing. Although the crab meat was firm and juicy, the Tanghoon was bland failing to absorb the crab's rich flavours.

Crispy Pork Rib Drumlets 4.2/5

Every week the Chef will create a new dish and the Crispy Pork Rib Drumlets was one of his new creations previous week. The Pork Rib Drumlet is first deep fried to perfection and then braised with in house special sauce to bring out its full flavours. The 2 cooking methods gave the pork rib an unique texture which tantalize the taste buds.

3 Treasure Sea Cucumber Wrap 4.2/5

This week the Chef created the 3 Treasure Sea Cucumber Wrap. The whole sea cucumber is stuffed with generous serving of succulent mushrooms, fresh sliced pork and nutritious carrot steamed with in house special sauce to create this gem. This exclusive creation melted in the mouth and burst with flavours.

Ice Ball 4/5

Chendol 4.5/5

Ice Kachang 4.2/5

For dessert, there were the all time local favourites such as Chendol and Ice Kachang. For some childhood memories, there is the traditional Ice Ball. My favourite was the Chendol. Its appearance was also rather unique with generous amount of gula melaka and coconut milk.

Shi Wei Tian has converted their alfresco area to a bar. With the new bar, the restaurant will be screening football channels as well as bringing back the popular Lok Lok. The restaurant also offers late night steamboat buffet from 10pm to midnight for supper seekers.